Tens of thousands of kilometres of Marine Protected Areas teeming with biodiversity within the Coral Triangle – nicknamed the Amazon of the Sea – are at severe risk of exposure to oil and gas concessions and production operations, a new report has warned world leaders and policymakers convened at COP16 in Colombia this week.

Vast areas of mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass habitats are all now at an increased risk of the fallout from fossil fuel expansion plans, including increased tanker traffic and oil spills with what has been called ‘dire consequences’ for local population and marine life.

Calling for a moratorium on oil, gas, and mining activities in the area, the report has been presented at COP16 in Cali, Colombia this past week by the teams from Earth Insight, SkyTruth, and CEED Philippines. 

Each collated the findings of the report from satellite imagery and data analysis of the Coral Triangle region, an area that extends over 10 million square kilometres to span seven countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and the Solomon Islands.

The report wants to officially designate the Coral Triangle as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area, a move that would afford the ocean region special protection from shipping because of its ecological, socio-economic, and cultural significance.

The Coral Triangle currently contains more than 600 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), 16% of which overlap with oil and gas blocks – the large majority of which are still in their exploration phase. These areas are now under ‘immense’ threat of oil and gas expansion which includes the increased threat of traffic and pollution.

There are over 450 known blocks that are currently being explored for future oil and gas extraction, covering an additional 1.6 million square-kilometres – an area larger than Indonesia. Some 80 Marine Protected Areas within the Coral Triangle are completely covered by oil and gas blocks, 55 of which are found in Malaysian waters. 

These oil and gas blocks have a history of polluting. Since 2020, satellite imagery has picked up and recorded some 793 cases of oil slicks within the Coral Triangle resulting in the release of untreated, oily wastewater in a process called bilge dumping. Of the slicks visible in the Coral Triangle, 98% were created by vessels passing through the area, while the remaining 2% can be attributed to oil infrastructure. 

Cumulatively, all slicks recorded so far covered an area of over 24,000 square kilometres, which is nearly enough oil to cover the land in the Solomon Islands.

It’s even more galling to learn that 11% of Key Biodiversity Areas and Important Marine Mammal Areas in the Coral Triangle are overlapped by oil and gas blocks.

“Fossil fuel expansion is destroying vibrant marine life and livelihoods in the Coral Triangle,” said Gerry Arances, executive director at the Centre for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), in the Philippines. 

“If this is not stopped, a vast amount of environmentally sensitive regions, including 24% of the area’s coral reefs, will suffer irrevocable damage. Communities across the Coral Triangle will not allow this to happen, especially when we have an abundant potential of renewables that we can instead tap for energy needs without destroying our coasts and seas.”

At the current rate of population growth and development needs, it’s expected that energy consumption in Southeast Asia will triple by 2050. This increased demand, combined with the limited funding available for renewable energies right now and the lack of planning for energy transition, leaves the Coral Triangle under the ‘immense’ threat of oil and gas expansion.

Located in the tropical waters that connect the Indian and Pacific oceans, the Coral Triangle is one of the world’s most biodiverse marine regions. Its area covers 10 million square kilomtres of marine diversity that has earned it the moniker the ‘Amazon of the Sea’. In its waters lives 76% of the world’s known coral species and more than 2,000 different types of coral fish. It’s also home to six of the seven marine turtle species and acts as a feeding ground for whales and other marine mammals.

Alongside these biodiverse ecosystems, however, live more than 120 million people who rely on the natural resources for their subsistence. The cultural diversity among these populations spans over 2,000 different languages.

“The consequences of increased fossil fuel development in the Coral Triangle include increased vessel traffic and chronic oil pollution, which has a devastating impact on ecosystems and communities,” warned John Amos, CEO at SkyTruth.  

“The report profiles how just one shipwreck – in this case the Princess Empress – impacted 20 Marine Protected Areas, decimated local farming and fishing industries, and persisted for months on end. We must prevent fossil fuel expansion in these delicate regions and turn our attention toward developing renewable, sustainable energy sources.”

The issue is, the investment into renewables isn’t forthcoming. In the six years between 2016 and 2022, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and others in Southeast Asia invested more than $30bn in liquefied natural gas (LNG). 

One of the main components of LNG is methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas with a warming potential around 80 times higher than carbon dioxide. Methane is known to enter the atmosphere from LNG-fuelled ships when unburned fuel leaks from the engine or when plumes are emitted at port by tankers loading or unloading cargo. 

The west part of the Coral Triangle is already one of the world’s busiest marine routes.

The report therefore also calls to leapfrog the use of LNG as a transition fuel and instead develop renewable energy plans that allow for a true, clean, sustainable energy transition.

Elissama Menezes, global director at Say No to LNG, said: “The billions of dollars invested in Liquefied Natural Gas projects are expanding LNG import capacity and vessel traffic through some of the world’s most critical marine ecosystems. This increased shipping activity in areas like the Verde Island Passage – one of the most biodiverse regions in the Coral Triangle – threatens to introduce invasive species and exacerbate risks to marine life.

“Methane leaks from LNG-fueled ships and their supply chain will push us past the climate tipping points. The science is clear, the choice is ours: protect these ecosystems or push them past the brink.”

Follow here for more from the Oceanographic Newsroom.